Brock BaseCamp

Faculty of Applied Health Sciences

Brock BaseCamp

Experience it for yourself.

The trip of a lifetime is just around the corner-the beginning of your university career. The first year of university is a transition to new friends, new ideas, and new opportunities. Why not kick-start the year with an outdoor adventure fit for all incoming Brock students?

Melissa Petterson is a first year Bachelor of Science Kinesiology student; she transferred from Kwantlen University in British Columbia. In the summer months leading up to the beginning of the school year, she saw an advertisement on the Faculty of Applied Health Sciences website for Basecamp. Lo and behold, the opportunity was right for her.

Currently, Melissa is living in Hamilton and commuting to Brock University daily.

“With a commute from Hamilton, Brock Basecamp was a great way to get involved, and I made a lot of great friends that I continue to keep in contact with on a daily basis” Melissa continued by saying “I learned a lot of great tips for getting around campus, study advice, including how to approach professors and teaching assistants".

Melissa had no outdoor training experiences having never even gone on an overnight canoe trip. The Brock BaseCamp trip served as a great prelude to many new adventures she is now prepared for in the future. Melissa is planning a canoe trip with a group of friends to Seal River in Northern Manitoba, a landmark for all canoe connoisseurs.

The BaseCamp canoe trip included 7 students and two leaders giving Melissa the opportunity to learn vital information for future adventures. She learned everything from bear proofing a campsite to how to portage a canoe.

Melissa’s portage skills developed as the trip wore on, as she described, “struggling through a 1 km portage thinking that I wasn’t going to make it, and then finally coming to the end, seeing the view open up before my eyes, knowing it was definitely worth it”.

Melissa is a member of the Army Reserve; she explained that Brock Basecamp helped to kick start her fitness training as her basic training is scheduled for every other weekend. She is also a medical technician, a career she is enhancing as she acquires knowledge in the Kinesiology program.

The Brock BaseCamp experience served as a stepping-stone for Melissa as she embarks on new adventures in her life.